🎬 Booked, Blessed, and Fully Present: My First Acting Gig Without the Day Job Backup

I’ve always said that being on set is my happy place — and it’s true. There’s nothing like that buzz in the air, the creative energy, the quiet moments before "Action!" is called. But recently, something happened that took that joy to a whole new level.

I booked an acting gig. And yes, I always celebrate bookings — the hustle is real, and every "yes" is hard-won. But this time? This one hit different. Because for the first time in my entire acting career, I showed up to set as just an actor. Not as an actor-slash-project-manager. Not as an actor-slash-payroll-approver. Not as an actor-slash-emergency-contact-for-literally-everything. Just me. My script. My talent. My focus.

No laptop in my bag. No “urgent” emails pinging my phone. No backup day job logistics swirling in the background of my scenes. Just presence. Just the moment. Just peace. But I can't forget the beautiful emotions of it all. The feeling was quite overwhelming. Beautiful, but I was surprised when the emotions came out of nowhere. Tears of joy and peace filled my eyes. I have NEVER experienced this kind of stress free freedom on set before.

If you’ve ever balanced a creative career (acting or otherwise) with a demanding day job, you know what I’m talking about. You know the drill — juggling lines with spreadsheets, time cards, stepping off set to take a “emergency call,” mentally switching gears so fast you get emotional whiplash. It's the price we pay while building the dream.

And let me keep it real: Auditions have been drier than a tumbleweed in a desert heatwave for a while now. Dry, dry. But then — out of nowhere — the right opportunity rolled in, right on time. I pulled up, clutch, and nothing but net. Swoosh… I booked it.

But the real win wasn’t just the acting job. It was the freedom space I’m in. I’ve worked so hard and have been wanting to get to a place where I don’t have to compromise the moment by splitting my energy. I’ve been praying, manifesting, and grinding toward this exact feeling — being able to show up fully as an artist, and only as an artist.

And you know what? It feels good. Like, really good. Like dancing-around-the-room good. (Yes, that happened. Yes, there’s video.)

This is the new chapter. This is my thriving era. And I’m walking into it grateful, grounded, and ready for more.

So to every fellow creative who’s still in the trenches, who’s still juggling, still answering emergency emails from the hair & makeup chair: I see you. I've been you. And I promise — your freedom and fully present moment is coming, too.

Until then…Keep showing up. Keep doing the work. Keep believing.

Because when it hits — and it will — it feels so amazingly wonderful.

Life is…Let’s thrive! 💫

Rahvaunia's first acting gig on set with no day job to stress her during shooting.